xxnicating with many classes of living beings that made him a teacher
of truly universal significance. Knowing that living beings through-
out the sentient universe share a common heritage of repeated exist-
ence and a common desire to avoid suffering and gain happiness, a
great teacher realizes their common need to understand the way of
Dhamma in order to fulfil their spiritual potential and attain endur-
ing happiness. Having the eye of wisdom, he made no fundamental
distinction between the hearts of people and the hearts of devas, but
tailored his teaching to fit their specific circumstances and levels of
understanding. Although the message was essentially the same, the
medium of communication was different. He communicated with
human beings through the medium of verbal expression, while he
used non-verbal, telepathic communication with all classes of non-
human beings.
To appreciate Ãcariya Mun’s extraordinary abilities we must be
prepared to accept that the world we perceive through our senses con-
stitutes only a small portion of experiential reality; that there exists
this spiritual universe of devas and brahmas which is beyond the range
of our limited sense faculties. For in truth, the universe of the wise is
much vaster than the one perceived by the average person. The wise
can know and understand dimensions of reality that others do not
even suspect exist, and their knowledge of the principles underlying
all existence gives them an insight into the phenomenal world that
defies conventional limits.
Ãcariya Mun’s finely-tuned powers of perception contacted an
immense variety of external phenomena, and in the best Buddhist
tradition he spent a considerable amount of time and energy engaged
in teaching them Dhamma. Such beings were as much a part of his
personal world experience as the wild animals in the forest and the
monks he trained so tirelessly. By virtue of his unparalleled expertise
in these matters, he always felt a special obligation toward their spir-
itual welfare.